taking on certain roles tip chi held by sworn in officers of the law. it's happening in departments across the country, including in denver. alicia acuna has more. >> we've approximately 45 positions that sworn police officers are doing that civilians could do. >> the denver police department are joining several others hiring civilians for jobs traditionally held by sworn police officers, including crime scene analysis, evidence gathering and lab work. >> part of it is our responsibility to be stewards of taxpayers' dollars and maximize the use of our police officers. >> departments with tight budgets can save a lot of money. if you have a detective who, let's theoretically is making 90,000 and you can hire two people to fill that position. >> but can civilians, even as highly trained match the experience of a seasoned detective. >> it will depend on the training and some of it's done through college educational programs and there's a lot available. >> mary dodge directs the masters of criminal justice program at cu denver. she says highly trained civil